Characterization of the adipocyte cellular lineage in vivo

Mature adipocytes are generated through the proliferation and differentiation of precursor cells. Our previous studies identified adipocyte progenitors in white adipose tissue (WAT) as Lin(-):CD29(+):CD34(+):Sca-1(+):CD24(+) (CD24(+)) cells that are capable of generating functional WAT (ref. ). Here, we employ several Cre recombinase mouse models to identify the adipocyte cellular lineage in vivo. Although it has been proposed that white...